Overview & Reviews

Acura is an upscale automaker known for offering cars with impressive levels of luxury, features and performance. It's come a long way in a short time, however, as the history of Acura is relatively brief. Parent company Honda introduced the Acura brand to the U.S. market in 1986 in an effort to create a separate luxury division for its products. At first, it was just a two-car show: the Legend sedan, which was the first true Japanese luxury car sold in America, and the Integra sport coupe and sedan.

Though essentially a marketing creation for the North American market, the Acura brand was immediately successful. Consumers liked the features, performance and upscale image of Acura cars, along with the fact that Acuras were backed by Honda's reputation for reliability and low ownership costs. In 1991, Acura introduced its crown jewel: the all-aluminum NSX sports car, which offered performance close to that of other exotic cars while undercutting them in price.

As Acura's product line grew in the 1990s, however, the company struggled a bit. Some of its products were duds, and it risked alienating loyal customers when it replaced the Legend and Integra names with alphanumeric designations. The company jumped on the hot luxury SUV bandwagon in the mid-'90s with the SLX. Unfortunately, the SLX was just a rebadged version of an Isuzu SUV, and its quality did not match customers' expectations.

For the new millennium, Acura revamped its product range. An all-new SUV called the MDX debuted, sporting numerous family-friendly features, including a third-row seat. The Integra was replaced with the RSX sport coupe, and an all-new entry-level sport sedan called the TSX was introduced after that. A complete redesign of its most popular model, the midsize TL sedan, followed, as did a redesign of its flagship RL luxury sedan.

By mid-decade the NSX was gone, but Acura filled out its model lineup with the street-performance-oriented RDX compact crossover, the TSX wagon and the ZDX, a fastback-styled crossover that placed unique styling over practicality. Today Acura is still trying to find its ideal niche but there's no denying the quality of Acura's vehicles, nor their appealing mix of performance, technology and value.

User Reviews:

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  My 2010 verse 2007 - 2010 Acura MDX
  By stma1 - February 25 - 5:26 am

  I just picked up a 2010 Base Model, it is much improved over my 2007, the new six speed transmission really makes the vehicle responsive, the handling is awesome, improvements over the 2007 include, thicker more comfortable steering wheel , higher quality leather, new " xenon" like interior lighting, and yes I do like the front much better, overall a much higher quality feeling vehicle , my 2007 had over 95000 miles when I traded it in, no major issues at all, hoping for the same with my 2010.

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  Best car for the Money - 2010 Acura TL
  By Eugene Owens Jr - February 24 - 10:51 pm

  WE have a Mercedes E350 and this car is what that car aspires to be! Real leather, not synthetic, check the German rivals carefully, you might be surprised that for what they charge it is an option, Technology galore, drives rock solid, build quality is second to none. The hardest part was picking the color, due to Acuras lack of option based pricing the car comes loaded when you add the technology package. Even without the technology package a lot of things that are options on the German cars are standard. Log on to the German cars websites and add the options that come standard on the TL and see what you get for the money. There is only one option for the money. TL Hands Down!!!

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  The Japanese Alfa Romeo Sedan - 2008 Acura TSX
  By sportscarnut - February 24 - 9:47 pm

  The 2006-2008 TSX has perfect balance of performance, luxury, and economy. My 2 previous cars were an M3 and M5 BMW. I was honestly not expecting to like this car when I first drove it, but I love it. It has the most balanced handling of any front drive car I have ever driven. You can almost throttle steer it through a corner. The engine revs like a Ferrari V8, and the car feels much faster than the numbers indicate. The 2006-2008 cars have a markedly improved performance due to a larger throttle body and intake system, and the updated front/rear fascia and rocker covers make it look substantially sportier. All the controls are perfectly placed, and the fit-and-finish are outstanding.

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  Shop around for best prices - 2010 Acura RDX
  By Chuck - February 22 - 1:43 pm

  I recently purchased the Acura RDX front wheel drive with technology package. Excellent car alot of power for a 4cyl. Interior controls are very accessible. The handling is very good for a SUV. The sound system is really good. Overall I love this vehicle would definitely recommend to friends.

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  Great experience - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Scott - February 21 - 8:29 am

  Love this car. Very reliable. I had ZERO problems with it for the 50k miles I drove it. It has a comfortable, cockpit like feel for the driver, the Type-S is a blast to drive. Its very peppy, though the engine is tuned so that the acceleration doesnt really kick in until after you hit almost 6k RPMs. This wasnt a problem, except for the fact that I wasnt aware of it for almost 3 months!

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  2010 ZDX - 2010 Acura ZDX
  By NC Doc - February 19 - 7:36 pm

  While I thought the new ZDX looked terrific in photos, it is way better looking in person. Good performance, definitely not a sports car. Great design inside and out. Very quiet and comfortable. This is not a family car, but I would recommend it to anyone who doesnt regularly need the back seat.

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  What a joy to drive - 2010 Acura TL
  By Matt Daly - February 19 - 1:47 pm

  Purchased my second Acura TL, had an 06 and went to the 10. SH AWD is phenomenal, it really handles great. We experienced record snowfall in February in PA and it was awesome, went past people in front wheel drive stuck on hills with about 5 inches on the ground. At one point stopped on a hill to wait for someone to get out of the way (normally a cardinal sin) car made it up the hill without any issues. The ride is great, the power is plenty and the price is great.

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  One of the best cars ever made - 1990 Acura Legend
  By T-Bone - February 18 - 11:16 pm

  When I bought the car it had 213,000 miles on it, original engine and trans. It runs like a dream still. I just passed the smog test. The car has 226,000 miles on it now and Ive had no trouble at all(knock on wood). I havent even done a tune up yet. IMO this is one of the best cars ever made. It just keeps going! This will be the car I compare all others to.

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  great package-style, performance,quality - 2010 Acura TL
  By joe - February 17 - 4:03 pm

  Put about 1000 miles so far. Comfortable, great in snow,effortless shifts,surprising performance. I like the look-its different.

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  What an SUV - 2010 Acura MDX
  By Richie Rich - February 16 - 7:06 pm

  I replaced my 08 MDX and what an upgrade. The 2010 MDX is so much more refined, responsive, and quiet. The technological improvements are extremely good. Love the chrome window trim, less aggressive active head restraint and the silky smooth 6 speed automatic transmission.